"The Broncos are expected to place a phone call to Manning's agent, Tom Condon, to gauge their chances, according to an NFL source close to the situation. If Manning's contract can be structured so that the team would be protected in case Manning's troublesome neck becomes an issue, the Broncos could well be players."

Put differently: we were right to be skeptical when John Elway and John Fox proclaimed after the 2011 season that Tim Tebow would head into training camp as Denver's starter. That could still hold, of course -- landing Manning is a longshot, particularly given Fox's run-run-run-punt offensive philosophy.

And the other free-agent QB options aren't particularly appealing: names like Matt Flynn, Chad Henne, and Jason Campbell are either unproven or not an upgrade over Tebow. Not only that, what quarterback looking to start would step in front of the buzz saw that is Tebow's rabid fan base? They ran Orton out of the lineup after a 1-4 start, and eventually out of town. Plus, it would mean revamping the offense again, something that would only make sense if the Broncos landed someone like, say, Manning.

Klis points to two other reasons why Manning-to-Mile High doesn't seem likely:

His age, he turns 36 later this month, coupled with the fact he didn't play last year because of multiple neck surgeries makes him an enormous risk.

And the risk will be financially huge by the time Mike Shanahan's Washington Redskins, as well as the Miami Dolphins, Seattle Seahawks, New York Jets, Arizona Cardinals and possibly the Kansas City Chiefs engage in a bidding war.

Another reason the Broncos might not get in a serious bidding war would be the presence of Tebow. By wobble or by will, Tebow took the worst team in football — and that's exactly what their 7-24 record dating back to Nov. 1, 2009 made the Broncos, the NFL's worst team during that span — and helped lead them to the playoffs and a first-round upset of Pittsburgh this past season.

Whatever your thoughts on Tebow, prototypical NFL quarterback, there's no denying what he helped the Broncos accomplish last season. That, and tepid interest from Manning as other teams clamor for his services, means that Tebow's job is safe … for now.

INDIANAPOLIS -- John Elway has a tough task in front of him when it comes to filling out his quarterback depth chart. Logic dictates that the Broncos would like to get backup quarterbacks for Tebow that can run the read-option offense, or at least a version of it.

But Elway said the Broncos haven't made a decision on what kind of backup quarterbacks they'll seek out, and that be believes either a "ordinary" quarterback or "one like Tim" could work in the Broncos offense.

"We're going through that process now," Elway said Friday at the combine. "We kind of have to let it happen. I don't know if we're looking for one like Tim, or your ordinary dropback or somewhere in between. Until we find out the interest out there, it's going to be hard to fill those spots. But I think that when I look at Tim and our offense, we can go with either one, whether it be a guy like Tim or if it's more of a dropback guy. We feel like either one is going to fit."

We'd probably disagree with his assessment here, at least based on what we saw from the Broncos in 2011. Their offense worked well at times, but it's impossibly difficult to ask the rest of Denver's personnel to switch back-and-forth from a read-option-type offense to a "normal" NFL offense.

Additionally, there's are different personnel requirements for each type of offense; obviously everyone "wants talent" and whatnot, but if you're constructing the ideal offensive line for a Tebow-style offense, by nature it's going to be different than the type of line you'd construct for a "normal" offense.

The Broncos could still end up grabbing one of each -- how does a Chad Henne/Russell Wilson combo strike you? -- but it may be harder to effectively fill out and organize the quarterback depth chart than Elway could possibly ever expect.

INDIANAPOLIS -- If you read the headlines relating to Broncos quarterbacks over the past few days, you'd think that Brady Quinn and Tim Tebow are mortal enemies. Quinn was quoted in a GQ article as saying that some of the things Tebow does in public; he later backtracked on the comments via Twitter, claiming they were taken out of context. (Michael Silver, the author of the article, points out that both he and Quinn have a copy of the audio file.)

Broncos coach John Fox was asked about Quinn's comments Thursday at the NFL combine in Indy.

"Knowing their relationship, knowing both Brady and Tim myself, sometimes things get lost in translation," "I know their relationship is very close. They have a lot of respect for each other. They're very good teammates to each other. That's kind of what I know -- it's hard for me to stay up on all the comments, but I kind of know what I know."

Fox also said that Quinn's comments wouldn't impact whether or not the Broncos were interested in bringing back Quinn, a free agent on March 13, in 2012.

"Oh no, I know their relationship, I know he was a great teammate to Tim," Fox said. "I know Tim knows that. We still like Brady Quinn."

Fox said he was glad Quinn apologized and pointed out that "sometimes that happens." (That, we took him to mean is "saying something you immediately regret while a camera or tape recorder is running.")

We think it's still a long shot that Quinn returns to Denver. He's seen the sideshow that comes with Tebow and he knows what happens to anyone who gets playing time ahead of Tebow. There's a decent opportunity for playing time in Denver -- Tebow could get injured or struggle -- but it comes with the hefty cost, as Quinn's already learned this offseason.

Even coach John Fox has now confirmed that nobody is going to hand Tebow anything heading into 2012. That’s because Fox said Monday, via the Denver Post, that the team would acquire two quarterbacks in the offseason to compete against Tebow.

"Numbers wise that's accurate,” Fox said. "Who, what, where, when, what market -- it's still way too early how we get those quarterbacks."

You’ll recall that Tebow a was tad controversial last year as he continued to play poorly (for the most part) but still led his team to the AFC West title and a playoff victory against the Steelers (really, by the end of Denver’s run, our colleague Pete Prisco was one of the few who remained steadfast in his belief that Tebow is not a legit NFL quarterback).

But that doesn’t mean the read option offense Fox and Mike McCoy had to install midway through the season when Denver decided to replace Orton with Tebow will continue to work in 2012. Tebow still has to prove he has the arm strength, the accuracy and the ability to play effectively in the pocket.

“I think at some point he’ll have to be if he wants to play a long time,” Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey said in January. “That’s one area he’s going to have to improve to be elite in this league. But the things he does running the ball -- he can make some throws, it’s just being comfortable doing it. He’s got to get better at it, and when he does, the sky’s the limit for him.”

Of course, the Broncos will HAVE to bring in at least two quarterbacks, because Tebow and practice-squader Adam Weber are the only signal-callers under contract for next year. Brady Quinn -- who apparently had a third-down package set for him in the playoffs (was he planning to Tim Tebow Tim Tebow?) -- is a free agent, and there probably isn’t much reason for him to return Denver.

So, for now, Tebow is the starter.

"He's going to come into our camp as the starting quarterback," Fox said. "He's young. He can get better."

Yeah, what does he mean by that? What can Tebow do better?

Um, this.

"It's the precision on the passing, it's the accuracy, the footwork, the mechanics, the rhythm, the timing, the quickness, the release. Everything," Broncos general manager Brian Xanders said recently. "And he wants to work at it. And he's dedicated. He's going to work really hard at improving those things. .. We're excited about him improving in those areas."

Until, perhaps, the Broncos can find somebody else who’s better than what we saw from Tebow last year.

After losing Dennis Allen to the Raiders head coaching job, Broncos coach John Fox is bringing in Jack Del Rio to be the new Denver defensive coordinator, the team announced Friday night.

"We are thrilled to be able to add such a well-respected defensive coach to our staff," Fox said in a statement. "He was an integral part of our turnaround on defense during my first year with the Panthers in 2002. His defenses with the Jaguars have ranked among the NFL's best, and we are excited he's a Bronco."

Plus, Del Rio was Fox’s defensive coordinator in Carolina in 2002 when the team finished second in the league in yards allowed and fifth in points (despite a 7-9 finish) that directly led Del Rio to snatching the Jaguars job.

So, from pretty much all angles, the move makes sense for Fox, and assuming Del Rio -- fired before the end of the 2011 season -- wants to find work again, the move makes sense for him as well. Especially since he’ll take over a defense that improved greatly in the second half of last season.

One reason the run of Tim Tebow this year was so surprising was because, even though Tebow obviously has major flaws with his mechanics, that didn’t seem to matter to his teammates. The Broncos seemed to elevate their play late in games, and even veterans like cornerback Champ Bailey looked to Tebow as a team leader. Like Tebow’s belief in God, his teammates simply had faith in Tebow.

But now that the season over (after a Broncos playoff victory, nonetheless), at least one of Tebow’s teammates said he needs to see improvement in his quarterback.

“I think Tim has a lot to prove still,” Bailey said Wednesday on Jim Rome Is Burning (H/T to PFT). “He’s proven he can win some tough games. Now it’s just being consistent. One thing about him, he’s going to work at it. And I’m behind him 100 percent.”

That’s the thing. His teammates are supposedly behind him 100 percent, but before the playoff games vs. the Steelers and Patriots, they also supposedly were OK with the report that Tebow wouldn’t necessarily have a long leash with the coaching staff if those games weren’t going well. When Brady Quinn is the backup, that doesn’t speak well of the confidence the coaching staff ultimately had in Tebow.

Even when John Elway says the following: "Tim has earned the right to be the starting quarterback going into training camp next year,” you still have to wonder if the Broncos front office and coach John Fox truly believe that.

One aspect of his game that Tebow must improve -- at least in Bailey’s eyes -- is his arm strength and accuracy. Plus, you know, his ability to stay in the pocket and be effective.

“I think at some point he’ll have to be if he wants to play a long time,” Bailey said. “That’s one area he’s going to have to improve to be elite in this league. But the things he does running the ball -- he can make some throws, it’s just being comfortable doing it. He’s got to get better at it, and when he does, the sky’s the limit for him.”

Even so, the Broncos almost have to bring in a veteran quarterback to compete with Tebow for the starting quarterback spot. But if you look at this list of potential free agent quarterbacks put together by CBSSports.com’s Ryan Wilson, Tebow might be the best bet after all. As long as his teammates continue to believe.

Broncos spokesman Patrick Smyth didn't detail the exact nature of Tebow's injuries, but did confirm an earlier report from ESPN that Tebow was in considerable pain when he finished Saturday night's game.

Tebow reportedly tore some rib cartilage and bruised his lung but continued to play. this resulted in a a build-up of fluid on his chest (during the game and afterwards).

After Tebow had struggled to sleep on Saturday and Sunday night, he reportedly underwent an MRI on Monday.

It really shouldn't be a surprise that Tebow eventually suffered an injury: he's one of two NFL players to attempt at least 100 rushes and take at least 30 sacks in the 2011 season (Cam Newton's the other). Tebow also ranked 40th in the NFL in rushing attempts.

These are the sort of things that expose the body to viscous shots from defenders. The irony is that Tebow reportedly suffered the injury after throwing a pass.

Tebow would reportedly be almost doubtful -- and certainly questionable -- to play this Sunday if the Broncos had advanced to the AFC Championship Game. As it is, Tebow is expected to make a full recovery and the injuries are not expected to interfere with his offseason training program.

While Winston Moss seems to be the favorite to win the Raiders head coaching job because of the Packers assistant head coach’s connection with new Oakland general manager Reggie McKenzie, the organization is interviewing at least four other candidates for the job.

As the Chicago Tribune reports, the Raiders have asked permission from the Bears to interview new offensive coordinator Mike Tice, and although Chicago just promoted Tice to replace Mike Martz, the team can’t stand in Tice’s way*.

Along with Tice, the Raiders will interview Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg, according to Delawareonline.com. Also, the Raiders will take a look at Broncos offensive coordinator Mike McCoy and Denver defensive coordinator Bruce Allen (hey, if you’re going to fly to Denver anyway, you might as well get two interviews with one stone).

“I think it’s very complimentary to this organization that they’re having that opportunity and to their work,’’ Broncos coach John Fox told the Associated Press. “I think any assistant coach’s aspiration is to be a head coach. It speaks for what this organization has accomplished this season. Time will tell.’’

Moss most likely will receive a call as well. He played for the Raiders in the 1990s, and McKenzie, formerly an executive in Green Bay, and Moss know each other quite well.

“There’s always opportunities to put yourself in the same position as a head coach would and see how you would do things or what you would change or what you would add or what you would take away,’’ Moss said. “So with that being said, I’ve done that, I feel good about the vision, the goals, the beliefs that can be instilled within an organization that would give me the opportunity to be a head coach.’’